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Washington Square <br />NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION <br />a 501(c)3 Corporation <br />www.washington- square.org P.O. Box 4435, Santa Ana CA 92702 <br />February 26, 2014 <br />Distribution list: <br />Mayor Miguel Pulido, Santa Ana City Council Members, City Manager, <br />Public Works Director, Bristol Widening Project Manager <br />Our historic Washington Square Neighborhood has waited for a long time for the widening of Bristol along our west- <br />ern border. The amendment to the EIR that has been twice postponed for a vote does not adequately address the scope of <br />the needs of the public in general and residents of Washington Square in particular. We have identified the following four <br />issues: <br />1. Proposed "Visibility Wall" is not high enough. <br />2. Bristol /Washington Intersection needs widening and reconfiguration to accommodate traffic flow <br />and mitigate serious safety issues. <br />3. "Full Take" plan should NOT be modified to ensure vehicular and pedestrian safety on the east side <br />of Bristol from Washington Ave. to 17th Street <br />4. Blighted Vacant lot (City- Owned) at NE Corner Washington and Bristol needs rernediation sooner <br />rather than later. <br />Here are our concerns and recommendations regarding these issues: <br />ISSUE 1: We believe the current proposal is for an eight -foot wall. We request a ten -foot wall instead. <br />An eight -foot wall is two feet too short to protect Louise Street residents behind it from the noise and pollution <br />increase resulting from the addition of two more lanes of traffic on Bristol. <br />Current residents of Louise, particularly those in the homes behind the Chevron Station and In `N Out Burger, live <br />with the constant problem of noise and people throwing trash or jumping over the existing wall /fence into their yards. An <br />eight -foot wall is too easy to scale and throw stuff over. <br />ISSUE 2: The intersection of Bristol and Washington is a huge problem and this will be our only opportunity to correct <br />it. This intersection is the main entry and egress from our neighborhood. As it is, it is narrow, dangerous and inadequate to <br />handle trajJic flow The following are needed to mitigate the traffic situation: <br />Left Turn Arrow to allow vehicles southbound on Bristol to turn east onto Washington. Routinely, northbound <br />Bristol cars run the light, putting left - turners, who are in middle of the intersection, in danger. 'there have been numerous <br />accidents as a result, some resulting in fatalities. <br />Right Turn Lane for vehicles Westbound on Washington who need to go north onto Bristol allowing them to turn <br />right on the red light. As it is, vehicles continuing west on Washington block those needing to turn right until the light <br />changes. That green light is very short. Vehicles are backed up one to three blocks in mornings and afternoons with traffic <br />going to and from Wilson School and in the early morning and late afternoons when people are going to and coming from <br />work. <br />The City owns the vacant lot on the northeast corner of Washington and Bristol. A portion of this space should be used as <br />a designated right turn lane which would alleviate the problem. (In the meantime, if the green light were longer, it would help.) <br />Even more important is the issue ofsafety in the event of emergency. Drivers are unable to get out of the neighborhood and <br />emergency vehicles will have trouble getting in and out if this problem is not fixed! Widening Bristol provides the opportu- <br />nity to do so and it should not be missed! <br />55C -90 <br />